Drilling

Drilling is often required to mitigate unstable rock masses. Drilling rock on vertical terrain requires specialized equipment as well as innovative solutions to manage access challenges. Pneumatic (air powered) drills are the most common type of drill used in rock stabilization. There are several different types of pneumatic drills, our present fleet of drills includes:

Hand Drills (or "pluggers" as they're known in the industry)

Pluggers are used to drill holes from 25 mm up to 65 mm in diameter. The depth of hole they can drill will vary depending on hole diameter as well as ground conditions, but it is rare for a hand drill to drill beyond 4 m. Pluggers are commonly used for drilling anchors for mesh systems, short rock bolts (3 m or less), and holes for trim blasting.

Bencher Drills

The bencher drill is a top hammer drill (i.e. the hammer remains outside of the hole). It mounts on a pneumatic feed. It is ideal for 41 - 45 mm holes, but is able to drill holes up to 65mm. The Bencher drills is the most common drill used for installing rebar rock bolts 4 - 6 m , but is also used for other applications such as drilling blast holes or drain holes. Maximum hole depth varies depending on hole diameter and ground conditions, but is usually around 10 m.

DTH (Down The Hole) Drills

DTH drilling is where the hammer is at the front of the drill string, thereby not losing any percussion as drill rods are added to the drill string to drill to deeper depths. Our DTH drills are used for drilling holes from 60 mm to 90 mm at depths up to 45 m (under ideal conditions with a 90 mm bit), but they are capable of drilling up to 120 mm hole at shorter depths (~ 10 m). DTH drills are most commonly used for rock bolts longer than 10 m, cable strand anchors, and drain holes.

There is a substantial amount of equipment involved in rock drilling, all of it is heavy. Our use of rope access techniques as well as certified rope access technicians gives us the advantage of using high lines and specialized rigging that allow us to move drilling equipment around in steep terrain safely and efficiently.